EXPECT a plethora of late, late transfer deals in this winter window, even if the driving force behind them is not necessarily the players concerned – or even their clubs.

Where then, you may ask, is the imperative? The catalyst, as so often in transfer activity, will be possibly the worst on record for agents as a group in the game.

“The activity surrounding Ronaldo leaving for a world-record fee and Manchester City’s buys masked the fact that the actual number of deals was way, way down. That meant, although the headline figure in cash looked healthy, the number of deals creating income for agents was well below par."

“That is why I know that agents are looking to redress the balance with a number of deals get players shifted. But what some agents occasionally forget is that players are not trading commodities, they are human beings, most with young families. They have to want to go.”